'A Lot of Sweat Went Into My Eyes, Wasn't Able to Open Them': Shubman Gill After Scoring Century in Qualifier 2

Shubman Gill said that he was not being able to see the ball as he smashed 129 off 60 balls his third hundred of the season during qualifier 2 between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday.

IPL 2023, Qualifier 2: Gujarat Titans vs Mumbai Indians – LIVE

Gill broke multiple records as Gujarat Titans managed to post 233/3 against Mumbai Indians.

Gill began sturdily and turned brutal in the second half of the innings to smash an overall seven fours and 10 sixes in his breathtaking knock.

In the process, Gill added 138 runs for the second wicket with B Sai Sudharsan, who happily played second fiddle with a 31-ball 43 before he was retired out.

Gill’s whirlwind knock made him only the second Indian batter after Virat Kohli (2016) and overall fourth in the history, after Jos Buttler (2022) and David Warner (2016), to score more than 800 runs in an IPL season.

Gill hit three sixes off MI’s hero of the last game, Akash Madhwal (1/53), in the 12th over to cross the 800-run mark, continuing his form to single-handedly lead Gujarat Titans’ charge.

He brought up his fifty off 32 balls with two sixes and three fours and unleashed a flurry of sixes against seamers and spinners alike here at the nearly-packed Narendra Modi Stadium here.

Gill also surpassed Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 62-ball 124 to record the highest individual score this season, with Mumbai Indians being on the receiving end on both the occasions.

In the process, the 23-year-old also surpassed RCB’s Faf du Plessis (730 runs) to claim the Orange Cap, something he forgot about at the mid-innings presentation.

“I went to the washroom and did not know I would be wearing this (Orange Cap)," Gill said.

Additionally, Gill’s 129 bettered Virender Sehwag’s 122 against Chennai Super Kings in the 2014 season as the highest score for a batter in the IPL playoffs.

A vital moment had come at the end of the sixth over when Tim David at mid-on dropped a catch to provide Gill with a lifeline, with GT finishing the powerplay at 50/0.

The first breakthrough for MI came in the seventh over when Piyush Chawla had Wriddhiman Saha (18) stumped on a delivery down the leg.

Gill certainly had luck on his side as twice in as many balls he managed to survive, off Kumar Kartikeya.

When asked about the runs he scored and GT’s total of 233/3, Gill said: “Got a good total, hopefully we will defend this. A lot, sweat went into my eyes and I was not able to open them. We have played our best cricket when we have lost and this is one of those days."

“It plays a part, you have to know which side to target, if it’s bigger boundaries and they bowl in good areas, look for doubles, smaller boundaries look to take it on. The new ball held up a bit, there was not much grass on that wicket, the ball was coming on nicely and with the outfield wet it stopped swinging after 2 overs," he added.

(With inputs from Agencies)